August 30, 2010
Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:18-21
Piety
Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, Upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, Not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, Until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching. Isaiah 42:1-4
Study
What do you think the vision of God was for the people sitting in the pews that day in Nazareth? From some historical accounts, they might have been waiting for a God who was going to free them from the Roman occupation just like God freed their ancestors from slavery in Egypt.
This young man, a carpenter’s son picks up the Book of Isaiah and proceeds not just to proclaim that sacred scripture but he offers commentary on it. The crowd knew very well this scripture from their oral traditions. They know that the prophet Isaiah explains that “Until [the Lord] establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching.” His teaching apparently has arrived.
“Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” They now anticipate freedom, liberty, and victory. That is what Jesus said. No?
But wait, Jesus left out an important passage from Isaiah 61:2 that contains the promise of “a day of vindication by our God.” If the people can not expect vengeance, then what can they expect?
It appears that this scene may be where the concept that God comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable has its origin. No sooner are the people amazed at what Jesus has to say than does he start to turn the tables on them. In Luke4:22, “…all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.” By Luke 4:28-29, (seven sentences later), “they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.”
This Jesus was not preaching what they wanted to hear. In the course of these seven sentences, Jesus sets in motion the fulfillment of the scriptures. However, he sets in motion not the fulfillment of any human agenda for vengeance, but rather God’s agenda which calls for the Servant of the Lord to be sacrificed.
Action
What is your vision of God when you are sitting in the pews this week in Fairfax? Have you transferred onto God your image of what you want him to do? One scholar has commented that God created us in his image and we have returned the favor.
Are you more ready than the people in Nazareth to accept the sacrifice and resurrection story that begins to unfold today? Or are you awaiting a God who will solve all your problems like Dr. Phil? Are you awaiting a God who will lead you into battle like Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great?
Are you ready to hear his message and see it to fulfillment?
